COLUMBIA, S.C. — Richland County School District 1 has revamped its COVID-19 mitigation and safety protocols for the school year after reviewing the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
The revisions come as DHEC is reporting a rise in COVID-positive cases in the state.
District 1 Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon sent a message to staff and families in the district with a copy of the revised one-page protocols summary Wednesday, Jan. 5.
Highlights for the 2021-2022 school year:
- masks will be required to be worn by students, staff, and visitors while inside schools, administrative buildings and on school buses.
- a social distancing of at least 3 feet must be maintained in classrooms and other areas where possible
- Plexiglas desk shields will be used in classrooms
- Richland 1 encourages students, staff, and anyone eligible (ages 5 and up) to get vaccinated and boosted
- quarantines of 7 days will be required for students and staff that are not fully vaccinated and have been identified as close contacts of COVID-positive cases. Those exposed but have been fully vaccinated and boostered will not be required to quarantine if they are not showing symptoms of the virus. Parents must show proof that their child has been fully vaccinated in order to be exempt from quarantine.
The full document is attached below.
